Traditional wireless networks provide communication between base stations and the core network over the backhaul via point-to-point transport fiber, microwave etc.
It is expected that by the end of 2013, the number of mobile devices will surpass the total population, and by 2017 there will be nearly 1.4 mobile devices per user. Indeed, by 2013, the number of base stations supporting wireless networks will increase to 5.7 million, from 3.6 million in 2007.
Moreover, the users demand higher bit rates for accessing content, for example video, which should be delivered at higher speed and better quality. In order to keep with those demands while keeping the cost of network operation, OPEX and new capital investments, CAPEX under reasonable limits, network operators have to look for more cost efficient technologies.
The basic problem is that mobile traffic growth is expected to increase 100 fold by 2020. The long term evolution, LTE, mobile networks do not have sufficient flexibility to adapt to the traffic demands.
The current LTE network is based on vertical integration of LTE functionality with hardware, HW. Therefore, current way for operators to manage of traffic demands consists of over dimensioning the network with additional HW that is only needed during peak times, while the rest of the time this equipment remains idle. This approach to cover the traffic demands leads to increase in the OPEX and the CAPEX. Thus, the network is over dimensioned to handle future traffic peaks which results in waste of resources.
There is a need to overcome one or more of the problems as set forth above.